Two of Samar State University proposals submitted to the Discovery-Applied Research & Extension for Trans/Inter-Disciplinary Opportunities (DARE TO) Grants-in-Aid were approved last December 21, 2017. The two projects totaling to about PhP 24.8M submitted by the Center for Engineering Science and Technology Innovation (CESTI) of the SSU are; (1) Development of Geo-Reference Agricultural Mapping and Management System for Samar Island and the Design and Generation of Hybrid Alternative Energy Source for Remote and Rural Areas (Microscale).
The proposals coming from various regions underwent several levels of rigorous evaluation from the regional to the national level. In 2015, a total of 229 proposals were received and only 76 were approved. In 2017 only 48 was approved from hundreds of proposals by the Technical Working Group for Faculty and Staff Development Grants and the Commission En Banc (Resolution No. R008-2017). Out of several proposals submitted from Region 8, three were approved; the other one comes from the University of Eastern Philippines. Projects will be implemented starting this year and is expected to be completed in 2019.
DARE TO grants program is part of CHED’s initiatives to assist the faculty and staff of universities and colleges in the country who are affected by the K12 transition. At the same time, the program invests strategically in bold, innovative trans-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary research that can solve current socio-economic challenges and produce sustainable solutions. The two projects of SSU is conducted with Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), Eastern Samar State University (ESSU), and Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU). Experts from Visayas State University (VSU) and other universities in the Philippines will also be tapped in the implementation of the projects where SSU leads in the implementation.
The two projects are just two of the more than 10 externally projects of SSU totaling all to about PhP 75M pesos from various agencies which is for implementation starting 2018 to 2020.